


It's A Secret

by Vickironica



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cute, Dating, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Hurt/Comfort, I'm not good at writing it, I'm trying to make it sad and angsty at least, Izaya's got a superpower, Kissing, M/M, Mario Kart, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sad, Secrets, Slow Build, Superpowers, Tags May Change, Video Game, actual kissing what, special ability, what losers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-02-16 21:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13062627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vickironica/pseuds/Vickironica
Summary: For as long as Izaya can remember, he has been able to see people’s deepest, darkest secrets. It comes in the form of a simple sentence written above their head, including Izaya’s himself.When Izaya decides to head to Ikebukuro to visit Shinra, he didn't think anything of the bad feeling in his stomach. But, soon after seeing Shizuo in an abandoned park with new words formed above his head, Izaya wishes he'd never been given the ability."Shizuo Heiwajima wants to die."





	1. Regret

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo guys I am BACK. It's been... probably close to a month since I've updated the other one, and to be completely honest, I haven't even started writing it. I've been focusing on like 7 different Shizaya fanfics I've been trying to start this whole time, and of course this is the one that I actually finished.
> 
> Hey but whats really great (and sad) is that nobody had actually done a Shizaya fanfic of Mario Kart, so I'm gonna be the first! (Don't hold me to that, I didn't search very hard) So you can probably expect that up within the next... 2 weeks? I'd like to say because of winter vacation YUS.
> 
> Anyways, I'm terrible at writing angst, or fluff, or love (i've literally never written it before) so hopefully I'll somehow meet your expectations anyways. :D

_For as long as Izaya can remember, he has been able to see people’s deepest, darkest secrets. It comes in the form of a simple sentence written above their head, including Izaya’s himself._

The information broker spun around in his chair, ignoring the glares his assistant, Namie, was giving him. “I’m going to laugh at you if you make yourself sick doing that.”

Izaya sighed, but slowed down anyways into a gently stop. He didn’t bother reading what stood above her head as it came into view; he had read it a million times already, and it hadn’t changed since the raven knew her.

_Namie_ _Yagiri has_ _kill_ _ed_ _somebody_ _for her brother._

The raven gave a playful smirk, lacing his reply with sarcasm. “Ah, Namie, you wound me so~!”

“If you would drop dead, that would be great.” She didn’t glance up from the stack of paperwork in front of her. To anybody else, it would look like a month’s worth of work, and yet that was only a small fraction of what she’d already done today.

Izaya’s smirk did not falter, only widen. “I’m so glad I can trust you with all my heart not to stab me in the back and betray me, my dear Namie~!”

“Keep that up and I’ll invite Heiwajima over while you sleep.”

_Yikes._

Despite contrary belief, Izaya did not wish to get murdered in his sleep, and nor did he plan on waiting up all night just to see the next morning.

The information broker had finished all of his work for the day (it only included a couple conferences and phone calls), and promptly decided he wanted to go out, despite the sun already starting to set. He waved off Namie, who apparently had no problems betraying him, changing the subject completely. “You can leave after you finish that pile. I have something I need to attend to, so I’ll be off~! Make sure you lock up!”

And with that, Izaya, who had been standing in front of an already open door, quickly shut it when he was on the other side. Free from Namie’s view, the raven’s fake smile disappeared as swiftly as it had appeared. It was tiring, keeping a mask on in front of everybody all the time, but Izaya refused to show any sort of weakness to his humans, and especially not the brute.

Izaya started to head over to Ikebukuro, with no intentions but to visit the crazy doctor. The raven had been having a bad gut feeling all day, and was starting to think he was actually getting sick. It was like, one of those feelings where you just _know_ something is terribly wrong, but there’s nothing out of the ordinary. The feeling had been bothering Izaya all day, and so far nothing had happened.

And that is what led Izaya to the conclusion that maybe he was getting sick. Maybe it was a new disease that Shinra would love to dissect him over (wait-), or maybe it was actually a bad feeling.

Izaya wasn’t Shizuo; he didn’t have the beast-like instincts that Shizuo seemed to have, just his fast reflexes. The brute was always able to sniff the raven out, and it irked him to no end that he couldn’t hide from the blond if he wanted to (he’s tried). Izaya wouldn’t be surprised if Shizuo actually acted off of ‘gut feelings’ instead of thinking logically. Actually, that made too much sense…

It was only starting to get dark out, and the raven couldn’t help but to glance at every passerby’s secrets. The words seemed to glow in the dark, always perfectly in view, no matter where he was.

_Emi_ _Yodogawa’s_ _mother is abusive towards her._

_Mayo_ _Satow_ _is pregnant with her brother’s best friend’_ _s child_ _._

_Keita_ _Haruno_ _is chronically depressed._

_Hiromi_ _Akamine_ _caused his little sister’s death._

All of these were not uncommon, including much more sinister ones sometimes. Sometimes, Izaya would have fun with these secrets, delving deeper into them, causing the people he messed with to do drastic things.

He looked above, at the glistening, not-quite-full moon, mixed perfectly in the starry night above. The raven’s eyes glanced to his own secret, one that had not changed for as long as he could read.

_Izaya_ _Orihara_ _is able to read everybody’s darkest secrets._

Izaya didn’t think he had been walking for longer than 10 minutes, but he realized half an hour had passed when he stepped in Ikebukuro, home of the wild beast nobody could control. Had he really been daydreaming for that long?

The beast, of course, had a secret too. Sadly, it wasn’t something Izaya could use against him, even in the worst of times. The raven didn’t even think he realized it, or just didn’t think it was important enough to tell anybody if he did.

It wasn’t hard to remember exactly what was written; it hadn’t changed since the first time Izaya met the brute.

_Shizuo_ _Heiwajima_ _is secretly gay._

The reason Izaya didn’t even try to use that against the blond was for multiple reasons. One, Izaya didn’t care what somebody’s sexual orientation was, or even if they were trans. To him, all humans were just… human. Nothing more, nothing less, and Izaya loved all of them equally.

And two, though the raven probably identified as asexual, he was probably a bit gay himself, being honest. Males were much more attractive than any females, especially ones with blond-

Izaya’s line of thought was cut off as the door he stood in front of swung open. He didn’t even realize he had already made it to Shinra’s apartment, nor did notice ever ringing the doorbell, but he must have. (Good thing he didn’t run into Shizu-chan while he was lost in though..)

The doctor adjusted his glasses upon seeing his friend, his eyes glancing up and down the raven’s body. “Oh, Izaya! What’re you doing here? You’re not hurt again, are you?”

“Ah, not this time, Shinra~!” Izaya paused, entering the apartment and shutting the door behind him. He made his way to the couch, plopping down on it before continuing. “I was wondering if you could give me some.. ‘advice’, per say.”

“What kind of advice?” Judging by the doctor’s full attention towards him, Izaya easily concluded that Celty must not be here right now.

He looked towards Shinra, glancing to the words overhead by habit.

_Shinra_ _Kishitani_ _is living, and in love with, a headless Dullahan._

Izaya honestly couldn’t tell how that was still counted as Shinra’s secret, especially since he practically couldn’t shut up about her. The usual smirk was missing from Izaya’s mouth, but the sarcastic attitude was definitely still there.

“Well, being my closest friend and all-”

“I’m your only friend”

“You wound me, Shinra~” Izaya feigned being hurt, stabbed in the chest by nothing but the truth. “Anyways, I’ve had a really uneasy feeling in my gut all day, and I just wanted to make sure I’m not going to die from it.”

“An uneasy feeling in your gut? You know, you could have just called me.” Shinra flipped through some documents on his table. What about, Izaya had no idea.

The raven thought back to a depressing Namie in his office who really couldn’t take a joke. A smirk finally found its way to Izaya’s lips, but Shinra wasn’t really worried. “Well, I wanted to go out for a walk, maybe to pick up some ootoro on my way back~”

Shinra sighed. “Can you describe the feeling a little more? It sounds kinda like something, but I’m just making sure.”

“It basically feels like one of those gut feelings, you know, where you feel like something terribly wrong is gonna happen and then it either does or doesn’t?”

The doctor adjusted his glasses again, slightly relieved yet not. “Well, to me that just sounds like it _is_ a gut feeling, but I thought Shizuo was the one who usually gets those?”

Izaya’s smirk faltered when he noticed Shinra’s unwavering stare, as if waiting for an answer. “How should I know? You’re the doctor here.”

“Yes, but you’re Izaya Orihara. You probably knew what it was all along and just wanted an excuse to come to Ikebukuro, though not having an excuse has never stopped you before-”

“Shinra, you’re rambling.”

“Hm? Oh, I suppose you’re right. Anyways, if symptoms persist, just call me later or something, but it doesn’t sound like anything but a gut feeling. Maybe Shizuo’s finally rubbing off on you!” Izaya sent the doctor a death glare, but headed to the door.

“Well, anyways Shinra, I have some business to attend to, so I shall be taking my leave!” The doctor gave a smile and waved as Izaya shut the door behind him.

Izaya actually had no idea what to do about the feeling, since Shinra was definitely no help. He literally couldn’t be less vague sometimes. The raven did, in fact, have a plan for what to do now.

It wasn’t hard to actively seek Shizuo out in the crowd, especially since the blond always seemed to find Izaya whenever he got close. After the information broker rushed out of Shinra’s apartment, it only took him five minutes to find his target.

Shizuo was with Celty, sitting on a bench in a deserted park. It was already dark out by this point, though there was no doubt in Izaya’s mind that wasn’t why it was empty. People tended to avoid being around Shizuo, and with the famous Headless Rider sitting next to him, people were sure to avoid the place like the plague.

Of course, some people were idiots and chose to approach the duo, to which they were promptly discarded with little care. This time though, they were all alone. Nobody dared approach them.

Izaya stood across the street from the two friends, glad his jacket made him blend in with his surroundings. He couldn’t make out what either were saying (especially considering Celty doesn’t talk), but he noticed when Shizuo nodded and waved, and when Celty got up soon after.

Izaya realized she must be heading home for the night, or maybe she had a job to do. Either way, he was now alone with the brute, who would notice the ‘smell’ is off and promptly start chasing the raven within the next minute.

Defying Izaya’s predictability for the brute _yet again_ , Shizuo watched as Celty left. Once she was surely out of range, the blond’s smile dropped and he sunk back on the bench, as if he was putting on a mask while his friend was there. Izaya knew too much about masks, and he had never seen Shizuo with one.

The raven silently crossed the street, not finding any reason to hide anymore. The blond didn’t react to Izaya getting closer, which must mean his senses were dulled today or something.

Soon, the information broker was close enough to read the same secret Shizuo’s always had on him… only it… wasn’t.. the same…

Izaya immediately knew why he’d had the bad feeling all day, and instantly regretted ever being able to read secrets. All his life, he’d loved it, knowing something about the person that nobody else knows, but now… Izaya wished he’d never been given the ability.

_Shizuo_ _Heiwajima_ _wants to die._


	2. Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izaya and Shizuo each get to see new sides to each other, and apparently Izaya has some feelings from high school? Also, apparently he's a cuddler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy, I'm backkkk. Thanks for all the support this story is getting! It's already the 26th (12:30), but I've been working on this since 4:00, so yeah. I thought I'd wish you all a happy holidays with a new chapter!  
> Anyways, a lot of things happen and I'm honestly not sure what's going on myself anymore. (Hey but it's like 4000 words so that's good).  
> Also, setting the mood is so hard ;-; I totally failed at doing it, but here's me trying to get emotions out of readers. (Hint: It won't work.)

_Shizuo_ _Heiwajima_ _wants to die._

Izaya stared at the floating words, rubbing his eyes not once, but _twice_ , making sure he was reading them correctly. Of course, the newly formed sentence didn’t falter.

A soft breeze made the leaves in the tree Izaya was behind rustle, bringing the raven back to reality. Shizuo hadn’t moved, nor noticed Izaya’s presence, even though he was only a few feet away.

The informant was for once, lacking information. Specifically, on his own feelings. The blond he’s hated for so long, cursed him to die every time they’ve met, and has even tried to kill himself, now actually _wants_ to die, and Izaya didn’t feel good about it at all. He felt hatred, yes, but not at Shizuo. He felt disgust, but more at the words that had unacceptably appeared. Izaya even felt angry, but… more at himself.

Guilt had found its way into the raven’s gut, joining the bad feeling. Was it… his fault? There were so many reasons that Izaya would believe that. He had sent gangs after the brute since they were teenagers, gotten him hit with a truck once, or was it twice? Izaya had practically ruined his life!

Before Izaya realized what he was doing, the raven had already left his hiding spot and was now standing in front of the blond. There was no way he hadn’t noticed his presence by now, but again, the debt collector didn’t budge.

Izaya gave up trying to control his body; it was practically pointless anyways after he started talking, anger seeping through his voice. “Shizu-chan.”

Shizuo lifted his head a bit, sideways glancing at Izaya before sighing and resting it again. “Listen, I’m not in the mood for this right now.”

“You..You’re not allowed to feel like that! Don’t you dare do what you’re thinking about!” Izaya took a step closer, glaring at the uncaring blond.

“How do you know what I’ve been- Nevermind; I don’t want to know. You’re Izaya Orihara, of course you somehow know.” Shizuo flailed his hands around in dramatic movements. His curiosity was overruled by sheer truth, one Izaya didn’t want to admit right now.

“I’m the only one who’s allowed to kill you!” Izaya took another step forward. Where did all of these emotions even _come from?!_

Silence.

“Then do it.”

…..

“… What..?”

“Then do it. Kill me.” Shizuo paused. “You’ve obviously wanted to ever since we met... Well, now’s your chance.”

The raven stood motionless, only a mere few feet away from the monster of Ikebukuro. Izaya didn’t expect Shizuo to be so open about his recent thoughts, but now that he thought about it, it sounded just like the blond. True to his feelings, even facing death. It was the perfect chance to do exactly what he’d always been trying to do, to finally get rid of the pesky blond that was able to screw up his facade all the time.

It took Izaya a moment to release the breath he had been holding, to finally answer. “…. And if I refuse?”

Shizuo, _finally_ , turned towards him, looking at the raven directly in his eyes. The once bright, honey colored orbs were now a dull counterpart of what they had been, and that alone made Izaya feel like he’d been stabbed in the heart.

“… That’s just like you. Making my life a living hell, even now. You try to kill me all the time, and the one time I ask you to do it, you refuse. That’s sounds exactly like something you’d do.” Shizuo sighed, looking away once again. It was almost less painful to not see his eyes, and Izaya hated that fact.

The raven looked up into the stars, trying to see what the blond was focusing on, though he knew it had nothing to do with the sky. It only took a quick moment and pent up feelings from high school to settle on a decision. Surely, Izaya would regret it, but he didn’t care right now. He didn’t like this Shizu-chan. He wanted the old one back. The Shizu-chan that would chase him around the city for four hours, only stopping because his favorite sweet was on sale at a store he passed by.

“Well, let me make it up to you, right now in fact.” Izaya smirked, but it had no hidden motives behind it like usual. With Shizuo’s interest piqued, the raven continued. He sat down on the soft grass, dropping his infamous pocket knife off to the side, out of reach. “I will not move for the next five minutes, no matter what you do. And to top it all off, I won’t hold a grudge about anything that takes place here~!”

_That ought to get Shizu-chan in a better mood._

Shizuo sat up, intent on looking at the flea, but he didn’t stand. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, whether you believe it or not, it’s true.”

“Really?”

“Really really.”

“Promise that nobody hears about this?”

“Promise.”

Shizuo sighed again, but finally took a step away from the bench, and towards the flea. It was about now that Izaya realized he probably should’ve made sure he wouldn’t die, but it was too late now. The beast had free reign over him for the next… four minutes and thirty seconds.

Another step closer. _Oh boy, oh boy. I’m seriously gonna die. Mistakes were made. Mistakes were made!_

Two more steps. Now, Shizuo was right in front of the raven, who was making an effort not to show how nervous and slightly afraid he was. (Only slightly afraid, understand?) He crouched down, still slightly taller than the sitting Izaya.

The blond raised a hand, and Izaya could almost feel the pain he was about to be in. He flinched slightly at the movement, closing his crimson eyes tightly, so he wouldn’t be able to dodge from habit. And sometimes, it’s just better to not know when it’s coming.

Keeping his eyes closed, in retrospect, had been just as bad of an idea. Now, new ideas of how Shizuo would kill him were popping into his head, in detail nonetheless. Four minutes was more than enough time for Shizu-chan to crush his windpipe while strangling him. Or, he _could_ pin Izaya to the ground with some metal, effectively making the time limit mean nothing.

_Heh, he wouldn’t even need metal to pin me down.._

All of the vividly detailed and gory ideas Izaya was having completely vanished into thin air when Shizuo finally touched him… on the.. back?

No sooner had Izaya thought this when he was abruptly pulled into a hug, one that was impossible to escape from if Izaya were to try.

“Shizu-chan… what’re you doing?” The information broker’s voice came out muffled, thanks to being buried in Shizuo’s chest. It was… shockingly warm and even.. calming.

The blond’s reply wasn’t as muffled, since Shizuo’s face wasn’t buried in the hug. “I’m hugging you. Now shut up.”

Izaya let out a sigh, but didn’t speak. Shizuo had somehow moved into a sitting position (Izaya wasn’t sure when), and the raven was buried in his lap. It was warm and comforting, and Izaya was almost scared by how much he liked it. He had always made a point to avoid human contact, deeming it unnecessary, but he could definitely get used to this.

Neither of them moved for several minutes, other than Izaya wrapping his arms around Shizuo, completing the hug. After a while, the raven was sure more than five minutes had passed, but this was probably his only chance to hug the blond ever, and he was not missing out on this golden opportunity. Like seriously, it should be illegal to feel this safe in your enemy’s arms, but _here he was_.

Soon after that -too soon-, Shizuo finally started to let go slowly. The warmth of the blond’s chest relented as well, and Izaya found himself missing it already.

The duo stayed sitting on the soft green grass, which would soon be gone thanks to winter. They were lucky it was still warm out as it is, already being the middle of November. Surely it wouldn’t last long, as it was supposed to snow next week sometime.

“Sorry, that was longer than five minutes..” Shizuo wasn’t looking at the raven, clearly embarrassed about either the hug, or going over the time limit.

The faintly glowing words above the blond’s head hadn’t changed or ceased to exist, and thus, Izaya decided his job wasn’t over yet either.

The information broker ignored Shizuo’s apology, moving on to his own questions. “So, what’re you so bummed out about anyways?” It came out as a taunt, but it had none of the usual emotions hidden behind it either.

Shizuo stood up and turned away from the flea, and Izaya almost thought he wasn’t going to answer, and just leave instead. Eventually, a sighed escaped the blond’s lips, along with a slight chuckle. “I guess you were right all along.”

Izaya’s eyes widened, his head snapping towards the blond. He had a cigarette out now, letting out a puff of smoke. Nothing Izaya had ever said towards Shizuo had been good, so it wasn’t a good sign that the brute had finally started listening to what he said.

“Nobody can love a monster.”

The raven hastily stood up, eyes never leaving the blond. Shizuo didn’t turn towards him, only continuing to smoke. The unquestionable silence after a minute urged Izaya to speak, wanting to know more. “And why did you finally decide to start listening to what I say? You never have before.”

There was silence for a long while, almost too long. It was getting close to being unbearable for the raven, before Shizuo finally answered, after letting out another slow drag.

“Did you know that Kasuka got a girlfriend recently?”

Oh. _Oh. Oh no._ _ **That’s**_ _what this is about._

Izaya didn’t even care that he was showing obvious concern about Shizuo anymore. The blond was too out of it to probably care himself, being honest. “You’re an idiot.” His words came out shaky and quiet, after another long silence filled the night sky. Izaya almost thought Shizuo didn’t hear him.

“… I know.”

Izaya took a step forward, closer to the blond. “Fine then.” The raven paused, trying to calm his frantic nerves. He’ll fix this, even if he has to destroy the hatred he’s been making Shizuo build up for almost a decade.

Another step closer. “If you can’t even love yourself, then I guess I’ll have to do it for you.”

“Wha-” Shizuo abruptly turned, just in time to be cut off by Izaya clinging to his chest. Now that they were standing/hugging, it was much easier to notice the height difference between the two. Izaya fit firmly in Shizuo’s chest, wrapping his arms around and cuddling in closer.

_Is it possible to get addicted to something as simple as a hug?_

Shizuo hadn’t wrapped his arms around in return, nor said a single word. The blond was still trying to wrap his mind around the words that Izaya had muttered before jumping into another hug with him. Shizuo stood still, frozen, while the flea cuddled closer into his chest.

After almost two minutes, it was apparent that Izaya wasn’t going to let go without some prompting, and he had no desire to hurt the flea (what a plot twist) at the moment.

Shizuo willed his mind to focus on the problem at hand, instead of finding the hidden meaning behind the flea’s words. They were obviously a trap, probably a scheme to get him while he’s down, to torture him emotionally too, but _oh how tempting it was._

Slowly, he pushed the smaller male away, finally getting to feel Izaya’s actual dainty frame. It was so small, something Shizuo could crush easily. (He supposed he could have done so earlier as well…)

He noticed that Izaya’s hand twitched back towards his shirt out of the corner of his eye, but decided to ignore it. Shizuo was able to clearly see the flea’s face now. It’s usual smirk was gone, and so was the usual glare of hatred that came with it. His crimson eyes were filled with… determination?

Shizuo didn’t remove his hands from the Izaya’s shoulders, but the flea could have easily brushed them off. “What did you- What did you mean by that? By what you said?”

Izaya spoke clearly, despite it being cold enough to see his breath now. Maybe it wasn’t as warm as he originally thought. “I meant exactly what I said. If you can’t love even yourself, then I’ll love you for you.”

“That’s impossible. We hate each other. And anyways, how do I know you’re not playing some stupid trick?” Shizuo let go of the raven to cross his arms, glaring down at the shorter male.

Izaya sighed, letting his always-there posture sag. “I suppose I should have expected this. I _did_ just say you should never trust me, after all.”

Shizuo sighed as well. He didn’t even know what Izaya _meant_ by ‘loving him.’ The raven was now standing with a pained expression on his face, clearly thanks to the contradiction of his own words. He was hanging his head down with a hand covering part of his face, letting his soft bangs fall dangerously close to his eyes. The blond could see the white wisp every time the raven breathed outward, then noticed his own. Though it was dark out, Shizuo was still able to make out Izaya’s slightly pink cheeks, probably (most definitely) thanks to the impending coldness.

“What..” Izaya took his face out of his hand to look at Shizuo, mouth turned into a slight frown. “What did you mean when you said ‘love me’ anyways..?”

“I...” Izaya paused, placing his hand on his chin this time. “I don’t know.”

“ _You_ don’t know. You, Izaya Orihara, the best information broker around, _doesn’t know?_ ” Shizuo felt a small smile creep onto his face. The irony of the situation made him almost want to laugh.

“Shut up, you protozoan! As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t know _everything._ ” Izaya puffed his cheeks out, pouting at the point Shizuo made. He tried to punch the blond in the gut, but not only did Shizuo barely feel it, Izaya was shaking his hand off afterwards.

This time, Shizuo really _did_ laugh, pointing at the raven. It felt good to laugh again; he hadn’t since Kasuka told him the news. When he had finished, Izaya had his arms crossed this time, and he was slightly shivering. _Was_ it that cold out? The blond had always had a higher tolerance of the weather, so it wouldn’t surprise him. (Izaya even had a coat on, but he wore that in the summer too, so it probably wasn’t that warm..)

“Well,” Shizuo paused, trying to think of what to say next. “What do you want it to mean? I’m willing to listen, but don’t think for a second that I trust you.”

Izaya almost let out a taunt about how Shizuo had literally _just_ hugged him for five minutes, but quickly decided against it. The raven’s mask was completely gone now, and he didn’t bother trying to put it back on. Izaya started mumbling, trying to think of ideas. “I… How about… No…”

“I suppose another important question would be,” Shizuo looked directly into Izaya’s crimson eyes, “What are you hoping to gain from this?”

Izaya’s eyes widened, but quickly turned into a glare, staring straight back into Shizuo’s eyes. He spoke in a serious tone, one Shizuo had never heard him use before; he was dead serious. “My enemy’s will to live.”

Shizuo’s own eyes widened this time as he took a small step back (more like stumbled) in surprise. He was too stunned to even speak, to even ask a simple “why.” It was incredibly difficult to remember how this was the same person who’s tried to ruin his life for almost a decade prior, or why Izaya, out of all people, was the one who was trying to help him the most.

Soon -not soon enough-, Shizuo caught his breath he didn’t know he was holding. It came out quiet, but in the dead of night, there was nobody else to interrupt, so he knew Izaya heard. “… _I don’t believe you._ ”

Izaya opened his mouth to speak, but Shizuo cut him off, muttering more quiet words that grew shakier with every term. “ _I don’t believe you. I_ _ **can’t**_ _believe you. You’re the most untrustworthy guy I know; I know if I were to trust you now, I’d only get hurt, because that’s something you’d do…_ _ **but**_ _...”_

Shizuo sunk to his knees slowly, letting the tears fall down his face freely. Izaya simply stood there watching, unsure what to do. Should he comfort the blond? No, he was already torn between trusting the raven or not, and he needed time to figure it out himself.

At one point, Shizuo tried to wipe some of the tears away, but more spilled out, making his effort in vain. Soon, both of his sleeves were so wet he gave up, and decided he should focus on calming down instead.

That itself took almost five minutes, with Shizuo trying to regulate his breathing and Izaya just watching the blond. He hadn’t expected to see the brute _cry_. Normally, Izaya would be ecstatic; getting the blond to cry was a feat within itself. Shizuo _never_ cried, no matter how much pain he was in, but Izaya supposed emotions were a little different.

Izaya has made a point to never cry in front of someone, since crying could be seen as a form of weakness. When the only emotions the raven ever sees from the blond is anger, it’s easy to forget that he’s actually quite emotional, and, well, _human._ In fact, Shizuo was practically more human than most humans, but Izaya would never admit that.

With Shizuo on his knees in front of Izaya, the words were directly in his face. The glowing words still hadn’t changed, and they reminded Izaya of his goal. The only thing allowed to kill Shizuo is Izaya himself, and no stupid depression was going to change that!

Shizuo had calmed down quite a bit now, only occasionally sniffing and still drying tears. He was in a criss-cross position now, to which the raven decided to join him on the ground. After sitting down, he spoke up, a genuine smile lacing his lips. “I’ve got it!” The blond looked up at Izaya. “How about we date?”

Shizuo stared at the smaller male, not able to tell if he was joking or not. “If you’re trying to trick me, at least make it convincing, Flea.”

“I was being serious!” Izaya puffed his cheeks out again, and Shizuo couldn’t help but think it was cute. He liked this side of Izaya, but who knows how long it was going to last. “We’ll have a truce for now. No more taunts or nicknames from me, and _hopefully_ no more vending machines and street signs from you. Or at least aimed at me.”

“You want us to.. _date_?” Shizuo had gotten his voice back, and was now able to speak in a clear voice, one that was expressing obvious confusion and slight concern.

“I know you refuse to date anyone else because you think you’re going to accidentally hurt them. It’s obvious I can handle whatever you throw -literally-, and if you do accidentally hurt me, I’m only a flea, so no worries. See? It’s a win-win!” Izaya got up enthusiastically, prompting the blond to follow.

“And what about you? It’s not a win-win for you, is it?” Shizuo dusted off his black pants.

Izaya waved him off, changing the subject. “Oh, I win something too, but that’s not important. Anyways, I’ll give you my unconditional love, and you can pour whatever love you want into me.”

“I thought you only loved humanity. What happened to me being a monster?” Shizuo crossed his arms again, noting how the flea was starting to shiver even more, even if he didn’t realize it himself.

“Let’s not talk about that.” Izaya tried to brush it off.

Luckily (or not), Shizuo changed the subject. “Hey... How am I supposed to trust this isn’t a trick? I could definitely see you doing something like this, and I’m not in the mood to get emotionally hurt.”

Izaya sighed, dropping his posture again. There was a frown on the raven’s face while he stared Shizuo in the face. _At least his eyes don’t look as dead as before. I can actually stare him in the face now._

Slowly, the information broker looked away, instead scanning the nearby grass, till his eyes fell on something shiny. Izaya trudged over, leaning down to pick up his pocket knife. Of course, he had more, but this was his absolute favorite one.

“Here.” After slowly making his way back (the cold was finally getting to him), he dropped the closed knife in Shizuo’s hand. “It’s important to me, so don’t break or lose it.”

“Are… you sure about this?” The blond was looking down at the pocket knife with concern. He’d recognize it anywhere; it’s the same one Izaya always uses on him.

“What more do I have to do to get you to agree?! Did you want me to beg? I bet you’d like that, actually. Have me at groveling at your feet, begging you for forgiveness-”

“Shut up.” Shizuo’s voice had gone dark, matching the seriousness of Izaya’s voice earlier. It was an absolute order, the calm before the storm.

_Crap, I made him mad.._

Izaya stopped talking, shutting his mouth. He let Shizuo continue, hoping he wouldn’t make him any angrier. After all, the raven had just given his weapon to the blond, and was currently at a major disadvantage.

“Just.. stop talking.” Shizuo had his face in his hand now, and he was trying to calm himself down by evening out his breathing. “You.. don’t need to beg for anything. I doubt your pride would even let you in the first place, and I’m certainly not worth it. It’s just… isn’t this your favorite knife?”

Izaya opened his mouth again to argue, but quickly closed it again. The information broker actually would have begged if Shizuo hadn’t intervened, but maybe it’s better not to provoke him right now. Izaya’s pride was crap when he was with Shizuo, along with his thinking process and emotions. The raven decided to just settle for a nod.

“I’ll… I’ll go along with your idea, but under a couple conditions.” Shizuo looked like he was in the middle of a headache, and the raven wouldn’t doubt it at this point.

“And what do they include exactly?”

“One, don’t tell _anyone_ why we’re getting along. Think of a lie or something; you’re good at those. I don’t want anybody else to worry about me... Two, you’ll tell me how exactly you knew what I was thinking just by glancing at me. I’m curious about your answer. And three, well it’s not really a condition as much as a promise, but if this turns out to all be a trick, I will crack this knife in half, and then do the same to your head. Deal?”

 _Agreeing would mean I have to tell Shizu-chan about my power, but.. I can live with that._ “Deal.”

Shizuo held out his hand. Izaya grabbed it and they shook on the deal, one the raven fully intended on keeping. “No more masks or lies, either.”

“You’re not supposed to add conditions after I agree, Shizuo.” Izaya, for the first time, used Shizuo’s full name.

Shizuo, on the other hand, visibly cringed. “You know, I really hate the nickname, but _please_ call me Shizu-chan. It.. It just looks like you’re mocking me.”

“Are you serious?”

“Sadly. Anyways, this was your idea so you can live with a few conditions.” The blond sighed, the cold only just starting to affect him.

Izaya was visibly shivering at this point, but he was still trying to play it off. “Fair point. A- Anyways, I should get going~! See you tomorrow, Shizu-chan! Try not to throw any vending machines at me~!”

Izaya turned away, preparing to head home for the night. It was already too late to take the subway, so he’d have to deal with walking home. Before he even go to take two steps, Shizuo grabbed his hand, and Izaya turned back around in response.

“Hey, uh, since it’s already getting pretty late, did you, uh, want to.. stay over? The night, I mean. My apartment isn’t far, and you’re shivering pretty badly.”

“N- No, I’m not!” Izaya tried to deny it, but he was rubbing his arms to keep warm, which convinced Shizuo a bit more. “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Instead of listening, the blond instead picked up the smaller male in a bridal style hold. Shizuo couldn’t help but chuckle when Izaya released a tiny yelp. “W- What are _you doing?! Put me down!”_

“Isn’t it part of loving somebody to worry about them?” Shizuo smiled at the raven squirming in his arms, trying to break free (to no avail).

“I can walk myself, thank you very much!” Izaya’s cheeks were now bright red, thanks to a mix between the chilly air and obvious embarrassment.

Instead of letting go, Shizuo only squeezed tighter, making escape for the flea impossible. “Well, I like watching you get all flustered, so I guess you’ll have to deal.”

“You’re impossible!” Izaya huffed, but stopped struggling.

Shizuo chuckled in response, already liking this idea. “This was your idea, flea.”

“I know. I’m more upset by the fact that I don’t hate it.” And with that said (quietly mumbled, really), the raven buried his head deeper into the blond’s chest, relishing it’s warmth. (Izaya was officially addicted to Shizuo’s hugs.)

_What?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the great support this story has gotten! I've gotten a lot of great comments and a lot of kudos, which is absolutely amazing. I just started this story because of a sad song I heard, but hey, if people like it, why not continue? Anyways, thanks! Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, but don't count on it tbh. I procrastinate stuff I /want/ to do.


	3. Mario Kart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shizuo and Izaya have some fun playing Mario Kart, and mix a fun bargain in the middle of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry, it took me a while to actually write this chapter. (I'm working on Blood Bond give me a couple days/weeks I swear it'll be out soon.) I've been trying to update all week but I was literally drowning in homework and tests.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for all the support, like usual! It's honestly so great. After I publish this, I'll probably reach over 1000 reads, and that's honestly so amazing like how even this only has 2 (3) chapter so far.
> 
> Oh yeah, in the last chapter Izaya said something about 'unrequited love' and I got confused and actually meant 'unparalleled' or something along those lines, and it would literally take an hour to update that single word. (I have 3 accounts so)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“Hey Izaya, you do realize that everybody’s going to think you’re plotting something, right? There’s no way they won’t think you’re up to something, and obviously got me involved.” Shizuo brought the topic up out of nowhere, still holding Izaya against his chest. It felt warm against the bitter cold.

The informant’s response was muffled by the blond’s shirt, but still easily recognizable. “We can go back to hating each other in front of people. I don’t feel like dealing with that. Especially Shinra.” Izaya shivered again, but it wasn’t from the cold this time.

“I’m fine with that.” Shizuo tried grabbing his keys in his pocket with no luck, thanks to Izaya. “Flea, we’re here.”

Izaya removed his face from the softness of the brute’s chest, looking displeased. “..So it would seem.” He sighed, then allowed himself to be put down. The cold air immediately washed over both of them, and Izaya rubbed his arms.

Shizuo fumbled with fitting the key in the lock, eventually getting it. Upon entering, Izaya couldn’t help but be fascinated. He had an intense urge to look around, even though the apartment was so bland and simple. This was where the monster of Ikebukuro resides. Izaya had entered the monster’s layer, and was still in one piece.

“You look like you just unlocked the secret to the universe. I find it hard to believe you think place is interesting, and even harder to think you haven’t been here before.” Shizuo snickered, enjoying the new emotions the raven was showing.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Shizu-chan, but I made an effort to avoid your place before. This is the first time I’ve seen it.” Izaya looked at the blond, actually unconsciously smiling.

“Feel free to look around, just don’t break anything.” Shizuo waved the raven off, who was exploring before Shizuo even finished.

Izaya thoroughly explored every room in the apartment, which didn’t take long at all. Shizuo’s bedroom, the bathroom, kitchen, a small living room, and a closet was all there basically was. But despite its size, the apartment was comforting. It was… cozy. It reminded Izaya of what a home was supposed to feel like. His apartment didn’t feel near as warm, inviting, or cozy, and it was his own house.

“Hey Izaya, you don’t like hot chocolate, do you?” Shizuo asked when the informant entered the kitchen.

“Not necessarily.”

“That’s what I thought… I know you like coffee though.” Shizuo reached to the top shelf of a cabinet, pulling out a small coffee maker.

Izaya stared at the machine in slight confusion. “I thought you didn’t like coffee?”

“I don’t. Kasuka likes it sometimes though, so I make it when he comes over.” The blond grabbed the container of instant coffee out of a different cupboard, shaking it in Izaya’s view. “I don’t have whatever fancy brand you usually buy, so you’ll have to manage with this.”

Izaya waved him off, sitting at the small table. “I’m sure I’ll survive. Just plain black is fine.”

Shizuo turned around to finish the drinks, and soon enough they were both finished. The blond brought them over to the table, sitting down with his own hot chocolate.

Izaya took a sip, cautious of not only the heat, but of the cheap flavor. Surprisingly, it wasn’t scalding hot, nor was it half bad.. Actually, it was really good. Like, _really_ good.

With two more sips, the informant concluded that this was the best tasting coffee he’d had probably, ever. “Hey Shizu-chan, did you put anything in this?”

Shizuo looked up from his warm drink, immediately amused by Izaya’s amazed expression. “No, you said you wanted it black. Why?”

“Well, whatever you did, it’s really good.” Izaya took another couple sips, relishing the flavor.

“Are you serious? It’s just instant coffee.” Shizuo sipped his drink as well. “I’m glad you like it, though.”

Izaya hummed in response before changing the subject. “Anyways, I’m sure you have a few questions, so ask away~”

Shizuo looked surprise at the informant offering free information. He took a few seconds thinking of one, remembering the conversation from the cold outside. “I asked you earlier and you didn’t really respond, or maybe I didn’t, but.. how did you know what I was thinking? I even fooled Celty.. I think.”

_Ah, there it is. The one question where the truth is more far fetched than a lie._ _Let’s see how he’ll take this._

“Putting it simply, I have the ability to see somebody’s deepest secret above their head, as outrageous as that sounds.” Izaya decided it’s better to just give Shizuo the simple version before everything gets even more complicated.

The blond raised an eyebrow at the raven, clearly not expecting an answer, and definitely not that one. “If you were making that up, you’d at least come up with something believable, so I’m going to assume that was the truth. But let me repeat, just to make sure I heard you right. You can _see_ somebody’s _deepest secret_ above their head.”

“Basically.”

“And you’ve never used mine against me as blackmail? What does mine even say?” Shizuo was starting to get a headache, something that happened often when he was with the flea.

Izaya sighed. “Yours _was_ that you’re gay, and that’s not exactly something I can use against you, because I am too.”

“Wait, you’re gay? And what do you mean ‘was’?” This was starting to feel more like an interrogation to the raven.

“One question at a time, Shizu-chan. First of all, I literally asked to date you, and you’re questioning my sexual orientation _now_? I suppose I’m more ‘demi’ than anything though, but you get my point.” Izaya took another sip of his coffee, glad it helping him through this fun conversation.

“Fair point, but what did you mean ‘was’?” Shizuo had a bad feeling about that word.

Izaya frowned into the empty bottom of his cup, before answering. “Simple. It changed.”

“Changed to what?”

“It changed to you wanting to die sometime today.” It felt weird saying something like that so casually, but they’ve been actively trying to kill each other for years now, so it wasn’t too bad.

Shizuo hummed in response, before asking another question. “Can you see everybody’s?”

“Everybody but Celty’s, that is. I’m sure you and Shinra know them anyways though.” It was interesting to see all the different kinds of secrets people had, and sometimes it surprised Izaya how similar they all are. When it came down to it, everybody was human.

“Can you see your own?” Izaya’s story was pretty bizarre, but Shizuo’s best friend is a Dullahan, so he’s not one to judge.

The informant looked up at his own secret, that was currently swooshing around letters, unreadable. “I can. I just told you my biggest secret, so now mine’s changing as well.”

“What’s it say?”

The words soon stopped their foggy transition. Izaya wasn’t surprised by the actual wording, but how _there’s no way he can tell Shizu-chan._

_Izaya Orihara is in love with Shizuo Heiwajima._

Izaya has known this fact for years. Since the first time they met, Izaya was in love. It just took a couple years to finally place the feeling, and by then, it was far too late. He had mistaken it for hatred, or maybe he had known from the beginning, but it was much too late, even from the beginning. Shizuo had hated him from the start, after all, before Izaya had even said a word.

The raven frowned at the wording and it’s inconvenient timing, before looking back at an expectant blond. “I.. I can’t tell you.” _Please, just please, accept that answer._

Izaya internally winced because of Shizuo’s delayed reaction, before he finally sighed. “Sorry, that was a stupid question. Of course you have some personal stuff you can’t share.” The blond stood up from the table, grabbing both empty cups and putting them in the sink. “It’s fine if you can’t tell me something, but don’t make up any elaborate lies. Just say ‘I can’t tell you’ and I’ll understand.”

“Thanks.. I guess.” Izaya sighed, looking back at the words above his head. At least Shizuo is accepting of a lot. Like, a lot lot. His best friend is a mythical creature, but honestly.

“Alright, come on.” The blond grabbed Izaya’s arm, dragging him out of the chair.

Izaya stumbled a bit, trying to keep up with Shizuo’s pace. “Where are we going?! I can walk myself, you know!”

Shizuo ignored him, but slowed down considerably before shoving the raven on the small couch in the living room. “Have you ever played Mario Kart?”

“Who’s Mario?” Shizuo’s look of horror worried Izaya.

“What _in the world did your childhood consist of?!_ ”

“I uh.. took care of my sisters, if you must know.”

Shizuo plopped down on the couch, handing a remote to Izaya after turning the television on. “Well, you’re an information nerd, and I’m gonna teach you some very important information, my dear flea.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Izaya glanced at the blond, not sure if he heard correctly, but also hoping he didn’t.

Shizuo simply grinned as the game loaded in. Izaya watched as he clicked on the two player system after turning the Wii remote sideways. He loaded in the rules after clicking on solo racing _(“Izaya, team racing is terrible. All they do is let you down. So much.”)_ , taking his time sorting through the rules. What in the world does ‘CC’ stand for??

He took the change to study the remote in his hands. A nice, black color with buttons all over. An A, B, 1, 2, a literal home, plus sign, and minus sign? Who designed this thing??

“Do you want the wheel?” Shizuo had finished setting up rules while Izaya carefully studied the remote, more confused than when he started.

“Do I want the what?”

The blond got up and grabbed a white plastic car wheel from a drawer next to the TV, handing it to him. Well, taking Izaya’s controller, snapping it in, and then handing the controller and wheel back to him.

“Shizu-chan what is this?” The informant was so uninformed right now it was hurting his heart and his head.

“Well, Mario Kart is a racing game, so some people play better with a wheel. I personally don’t like it.” Shizuo shrugged, clicking a few more buttons on the screen. “Ah, you need to choose here.”

“I don’t know _how_ to choose, Shizu-chan.” Izaya retorted.

The blond grinned again. “Oh, yeah, right.” He reached over, practically leaning on Izaya, forcing all his warmth on the raven. Izaya had to physically hold back a blush. “You have to hold this down to go forward, this to go backwards (“why do I need to go backwards” “trust me, you will”), press up- er, sideways I guess, to use your item, and pressing down will make some items go backwards instead, and on edges you can either shake the controller or press this-” Shizuo showed each of the buttons to Izaya carefully, but he was having trouble concentrating when the blond was so close.

“H- How about you just show me in the game? That seems a lot simpler, and I’m a fast learner. I’ll be beating you by the end of the night!” Izaya pretended like he didn’t stutter, and his heartbeat wasn’t going crazy.

“Are… Are you sure about that?” Izaya nodded, despite the blond’s look of doubt. “Okay, whatever you say.” He chuckled, clearly enjoying himself.

It took him a few moments to get used to where the buttons are and what they do, but it was no different from a computer (Izaya what the frick are you talking about) once you think about it. Shizuo basically told him what to choose, something about automatic and manual, and now they were on character selection.

Shizuo immediately chose a green… dinosaur? “Shizu-chan, what is that?”

“Who, Yoshi? He’s my favorite character.” Shizuo stated like it was the most obvious fact in the world. “You need to choose yours too, flea.”

“Any recommendations? Do stats change based on character?” Izaya skimmed through the characters, confused at… is that a turtle or a lizard… and… what is a Waluigi? He can’t possibly be human with that nose. (I stg Izaya hate on Wario instead _please_ ) And are those mushrooms?? Why are people playing as mushrooms???

Shizuo paused for a second before answering. “Well, depending on who you choose, you can get different sized cars or bikes. Bigger karts go slower, but can’t be shoved as easily, so it’s up to you. I haven’t unlocked all the characters either, if you look at the blank question mark box things. Just don’t choose Mario.”

“Who’s Mario?” Didn’t he already ask that?

“Red cap guy right there.” Shizuo pointed towards a guy in a red cap. Not sure what he was expecting.

“You don’t like him? Why not?” It was strange for Shizuo not to like the supposedly main character in a game he loves.

His voice was still calm, but Izaya could sense the rage seeping out. It’s something he’s quite familiar with, after all. “He is the absolute _worst character._ He constantly sacrifices Yoshi and his own _brother_ to pits of death, and takes all the credit for things his brother did! Mario is an actual piece of trash, and to be honest, I probably hate him more than I hated you yesterday!”

“ _More_ than me?! Yikes. I’m not sure if I should be taking notes or avoiding him at all costs.” Izaya laughed.

The blond sighed, done with his rant. “Well, you need to choose your character, flea. I need to demolish your pride.”

It took a solid minute for him to decide, but Izaya finally settled on a blond girl in a bright pink dress.

“You chose Peach? What made you choose her? I thought for certain you were gonna go for Bowser or something, since you seem to love all humans equally or whatever crap you always spew.”

“I have a thing for blonds, I suppose.” It took physical effort not to smirk as he felt Shizuo’s eyes stare directly at him, as if he were trying to see if Izaya was joking. Izaya wished he was.

The vehicles came up next, and Shizuo immediately went to a car called the ‘Wild Wing.’

“Are there any stats I should be worried about?” Izaya scrolled through the options. All the cars were a shade of pink.

Shizuo hummed, “Hm, I’d go with the Standard Kart or the Classic Dragster… Maybe Standard Kart would be better, so you learn the basics.”

“What’s so good about the Wild Wing?”

“It’s got good speed and drift.”

Izaya clicked on the Standard Kart. Pink with a white stripe. “What’s a drift?”

“Ah, you can either hold B or 1 and you’ll do a mini jump before doing a skid, which gives you a boost and lets you take sharp turns.” Shizuo scrolled through the maps, eventually deciding to go with the first one, Luigi Circuit.

And the match was starting.

“Shizu-chan I’ve forgotten how to play.”

“You never learned how to play in the first place.”

“Shizu-chan I’ve forgotten all the controls you just tried to teach me.”

Shizuo sighed. “It’s fine. It’s only us two anyways. Oh- hold down 2 right before the two disappears. It’ll give you a boost.”

And so the race began. Izaya was having a mini panic attack over something as simple as a video game, and Shizuo was helping (and laughing) at him. At first, the raven ran into basically every wall there was. Shizuo was obviously having fun, laughing at the flea every time he made a disgruntled face. The blond had even turned his car around at one point and was going backwards down the track.

“Stop taunting me.”

“Well, get better already.”

“I will personally fight you.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m here for. You’re just not living up to anyone’s expectations.”

“You can’t expect me to be perfect at this. I just picked up a controller for the first time in my life.”

“ _What?_ The great Izaya Orihara, master of information and whatever other crap you do, _isn’t perfect?_ ”

“Shizu-chan, you’re treading on thin ice right now. I will destroy you.” Izaya couldn’t help but grin, actually having a lot of fun despite their conversation. “Ha! I passed the finish line first! I win!”

“… Izaya, there’s three laps. That was just the first one.” Shizuo failed holding back a snicker.

“Are you _kidding me?!”_ Izaya’s voice cracked. He was determined to win, though there was no possible way. The raven cleared his throat. “Doesn’t matter! I’ll still beat you! I think I’ve got this controller thing under control!”

Shizuo grinned, an idea popping in his head. “Tell you what. I’ll play the next race with only one hand, and if you manage to beat me, I’ll listen to all of your orders -to an extent- for a day.”

“And if you win?” Izaya glanced over, before quickly returning his eyes to the screen.

The blond shrugged, clearly more relaxed than the raven. “I dunno. Nothing, I guess? It’s more of a ‘getting your hopes up’ thing.”

“I don’t want your pathetic attempts at getting my hopes up. I already know I’m gong to win!” Izaya finished the second lap, closely followed by Shizuo.

“Yeah yeah, whatever you say, Flea.”

“I _do_ say. And you know what? If you win, I’ll listen to three -no, _five-_ orders you give me, also to an extent. Redeemable at any time.” Shizuo immediately began plotting what to do with his soon-to-come reward. The flea obviously doesn’t know how video games work if he thinks he can beat Shizuo, just because the blond was going super soft on him. Really Izaya what have you gotten yourself into.

Shizuo hummed an agreement, letting Izaya finish in first for the next two laps, completing the race. “I’ll let you choose the map this time. And you better keep your end of the deal, Flea~”

“You doubt me, Shizu-chan? I’m offended~” Izaya feigned hurt. The raven looked over the map courses, slightly scared at what a ‘Rainbow Road’ was. In the end, he chose ‘Moo Moo Meadows’, the next map down on the list. “How about this one?”

The blond grinned. “You should probably choose something else if you want a _chance_ at beating me.”

“And why is that?” Izaya glanced over.

“Do you really think you can beat me on my favorite map? There’s no way you’ll win without items.”

That only fueled Izaya’s drive more. He clicked on the map, starting the race. “And what’ll you do if I beat you on your favorite map?”

“Tell you what. I’ll raise my end of the deal. I’ll listen to your orders for a _week._ ”

“Deal.”

The match started. Shizuo and Izaya were tied in the beginning, Shizuo trying to get used to one-handed controls. Izaya smirked- if Shizu-chan was gonna be this slow the whole time, he would definitely be the winner of the race.

And then everything went to crap for the raven. About halfway through the first lap, Shizuo suddenly got a lot faster, passing the flea with ease.

“What the heck?!”

“Ah, yeah, it took me a minute to get used to the controls. It’s been a while since I’ve played Mario Kart, especially one-handed. Good luck, ‘zaya.”

“I don’t want your luck, Shizu-chan. I’ll win this with skill!”

“Well, your skill better kick in soon, or you’re going to lose.”

“Shut it!”

Shizuo failed at holding back a snicker, successfully drifting around a corner and using a ramp. Izaya was just passed into the second lap, while the blond was almost done with the lap already.

Shizuo’s posture was relaxed, leaning back on the couch, enjoying a good race (it really wasn’t a competition). Izaya was leaning forward, concentrating as hard as he could on winning against the brute, a frown across his face.

It only took another minute before the race was finally over. Shizuo had won, just like he expected to. He grinned, realizing earlier just how fun it is to taunt the flea. “Hey, you might’ve had a chance if you didn’t get stuck on that cow for a whole minute.”

“I am eating a steak for lunch tomorrow, and a hamburger for dinner.” If Izaya had the blond’s strength, the controller in his would be crushed to dust.

“Hey Izaya,” Shizuo started, pausing till the other looked at him, “I think I’m gonna redeem one of those orders now.”

“Right now?” Izaya raised his eyebrows, suddenly feeling nervous. The blond would actually kill him if he didn’t keep up his end of the deal, and he didn’t plan on breaking it either, but he also didn’t want to die.

Shizuo put the controller on the table next to him. “Close your eyes, and no peeking.”

“I’m scared to know why.”

“Just do it.”

And so Izaya did. He closed his eyes tightly, prepared for any sort of blow to the face or otherwise. He wouldn’t know where it’s coming from or going with his eyes shut, and thus, couldn’t dodge at all. Shizuo had the perfect opportunity -again- to probably kill him, and even though Izaya knew the blond would never do that, there was still a small bit of doubt in the back of his head.

After what seemed like forever, Izaya finally felt the blond… on his… lips? Wait…

Shizuo was kissing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the wonderful support you all have given this series! Also, question. I could probably easily turn this into some kind of lemon, but I've never written it so I'll leave it up to you guys if you want me to try and write that or not. Smut, or no smut, that is the question.
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner, but honestly probably not.

**Author's Note:**

> Like always, as in the last 3 chapters on a different story, thanks for all your support, and I literally sound so cliche right now help. But anyways, I really do appreciate it and hint hint: comments help me update faster, no joke. But thanks for reading! Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon...


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